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Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0647.PDF
OCTOBER 16, 1909 be stretched. In one or two instances we have seen the wire on the trailing edge looped over the shank of an ordinary wood-screw, and it occuis to us that fitting the screw in another position as an extension of the rib would afford a very simple means of adjusting the tension on the wire should any such adjustment be found necessary. The wire itself would of course lie in the notch which is cut across the head of the screw, and would be temporarily disengaged while an adjustment was being made. " Flight" Copyright. PARIS FLIGHT SHOW.—Sketch illustrating a suggested method of using a screw for stretching the wire in the trailing edge. Portability of Flyers. >- • From the purchaser's point of view there are some features about flying machine construction which essentially strike the would-be aviator to the exclusion of all else. Some intending buyers will walk round the show and be struck by the apparent impossibility of transporting such an apparatus as an aeroplane from one spot to another—except of course under its own power. Certainly there is no very special evidence that manufacturers are studying this point as a prime factor in design, although one or two, Bleriot especially, look to the detachability of the wings. As a matter of fact we are inclined to place considerable importance on this matter, and should be pleased to see the ingenuity of designers directed towards the evolution of simple and strong fastenings for this sort of work. Even although it may be out of the question, just at present, to have a machine so readily dis- mantled that it can be taken to pieces every night for accommo- dation in a small shed, the possibility of transferring one's scene of operations from one flying ground 10 another without incurring an exorbitant freightage for one's machine, will certainly appeal to a large majority of those who are inclined to devote some of their leisure to the practice of flight. Propellers in the Line of Sight. Another point which we have noticed as having struck the prospective purchaser very strongly is the relative position of the propeller and the pilot's seat. Most monoplanes have a single tractor screw placed just in front of the frame, and its rotation, more or less in the line of sight, suggests unpleasantness to many who otherwise are inclined to favour the monoplane type of machine. The Bleriot No. 12 is especially an example which conveys an impression that the propeller might prove to be somewhat in the way. We are assured that it in no way interferes with the pilot's outlook, and doubtless its presence is easily got used to. At any rate, the seating arrangements on Bleriot No. 12, which is the only two-seated monoplane yet built primarily as a two-seater, indicate an originality of design deserving of much commendation. The progress of this model will be watched with the same interest as were the performances of the famous " short-span " No. 11, which culminated in the cross-Channel flight. We trust that they may lead equally soon to pronounced success. The One-Man Machine. Taking the machines collectively, they represent a large type of flyer, and there is no particular evidence of any special attention being given at the moment to the small one-man machine, which, as we have frequently remarked, ought to have a great vogue, especially among beginners. The Santos Dumont " Demoiselle " is, of course, a notable exception, but interesting as its construction undoubtedly is, and remarkable as have been its performances, it nevertheless is essentially sketchy in its design, and in the matter of seating capacity even the pilot can hardly be said to be " accommodated." The Fernandez, being more or less of a copy of the Curtiss flyer, is a lighter and smaller machine than most. The absence of light, small engines has, of course, militated against the production of such a type, but there is more evidence now of this deficiency being supplied. At present engine manufacturers are asking very high prices for their aviation motors, and this in itself is hardly encouraging to the com- mercial production of a machine which purchasers would naturally expect to find less costly than those constructed to carry two or more passengers. FRENCH MSTMOO OF ec GOOD POINTS Of A FLIGHT ENGINE.SlBE SNOWMAN THE PftTHl HUTCHINSON Co'S lnQEtflOUS NOTICE TO ENSURE. THOROUCH EXAMINATION OF TKEIR. AEROCUrTH . The lighter-than-air side of flight. 651
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